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1945 : Herman Goering is captured by the U.S. Seventh Army

1945 : Herman Goering is captured by the U.S. Seventh Army

On this day in 1945, Herman Goering, commander in chief of the Luftwaffe, president of the Reichstag, head of the Gestapo, prime minister of Prussia, and Hitler's designated successor is taken prisoner by the U.S. Seventh Army in Bavaria.
Goering was an early member of the Nazi Party and was wounded in the failed Munich Beer Hall Putsch in 1923. That wound would have long-term effects; Goering became increasingly addicted to painkillers. Not long after Hitler's accession to power, Goering was instrumental in creating concentration camps for political enemies. Ostentatious and self-indulgent, he changed his uniform five times a day and was notorious for flaunting his decorations, jewelry, and stolen artwork. It was Goering who ordered the purging of German Jews from the economy following the Kristallnacht pogrom in 1938, initiating an "Aryanization" policy that confiscated Jewish property and businesses.
Goering's failure to win the Battle of Britain and prevent the Allied bombing of Germany led to his loss of stature within the Party, aggravated by the low esteem with which he was always held by fellow officers because of his egocentrism and position as Hitler's right-hand man. As the war progressed, he dropped into depressions and battled drug addiction.
When Goering fell into U.S. hands after Germany's surrender, he had in his possession a rich stash of pills. He was tried at Nuremberg and charged with various crimes against humanity. Despite a vigorous attempt at self acquittal, he was found guilty and sentenced to be hanged, but before he could be executed, he committed suicide by swallowing a cyanide tablet he had hidden from his guards.

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May 9th 1942 - The first batch of new Spitfires flew into Malta – 64 in total.

On May 9th 1942, the first batch of new Spitfires flew into Malta – 64 in total. They had been carried as near as was feasible by ‘HMS Eagle’ and ‘USS Wasp’ before flying onto the island. Rather than risk what had happened before when many Spitfires were attacked on the ground, the RAF ensured that no low flying German fighter would be safe. A heavily armed protective cordon was prepared around the perimeter fence at Takali and once the new Spitfires had landed, they were quickly moved into hangars before being refuelled. The ground crews could turn around twelve fighters in just seven minutes. On May 9th, 36 new Spitfires V’s patrolled the skies over Malta and their first contact with the Luftwaffe – that may well have been lulled into complacency regarding the island’s air defences – was decisive with a reported 33 kills. On the following day, the Germans lost 64 aircraft. By May 14th the rumour went around the island that 172 Luftwaffe aircraft had been destroyed in just six days with the RAF losing just three Spitfires. As with any campaign, accurate figures were hard to come by but many believed the rumour and it did a great deal to boost the morale of a civilian population that had been bombed almost daily from the start of March.